Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Wind Power

Caroline Ansell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the environmental sustainability of biomass lubricants in wind turbines.

Rebecca Pow: The Marine Management Organisation’s (MMO) general objective, as set out by the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009 (MCAA), is to manage its activities with the objective of contributing to the achievement of sustainable development, taking account of all relevant facts and matters and in a consistent and coordinated manner (section 2(1) MCAA). In our decision making and when making our recommendations to the Secretary of State where applicable, the MMO considers the need to protect the environment, human health, and to prevent interference with legitimate uses of the sea (and such other matters as thought relevant) (section 69 MCAA). As a signatory to the Oslo and Paris convention (specifically OSPAR 1992 Annex lll Article 4) the UK must ensure that chemicals are approved for use in the marine environment. This is a requirement for each signatory country for their exclusive economic zone beyond 12 nautical miles and covers the area up to the recognised international boundaries. Offshore wind farm (OWF) applications with a generating capacity of more than 100MW are classed as Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs), as set out in Part 3 of the Planning Act 2008 (as amended), and as such are granted or refused by the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. OWF developments The OSPAR guidance on environmental considerations for OWF development suggests that all chemicals, paints and coverings used in the maintenance and repair of OWFs should be approved for use in the marine environment and their properties should be sufficiently understood. DML conditions are contained within DCOs consented by the Secretary of State, to capture this requirement, alongside others regarding the control of chemicals in the offshore environment. Under the management of DML conditions, the MMO reviews chemicals used, and any chemicals not already approved under the List of Notified Chemicals require a chemical risk assessment to be submitted before being approved for use. Generally, lubricants are used in small quantities with low risk to enter the marine environment. They are used to maintain low friction, allow for efficient heat transfer and for the maintenance of hydraulics or moving mechanical parts in activities relating to foundations, cable laying, substation platforms and wind turbine generators where applicable. Regardless, all lubricants are considered for their environmental sustainability alongside all chemicals as part of the process outlined above.

Members: Correspondence

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 16 August 2023 and 25 October 2023 from the hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, reference number MC2023/16104.

Rebecca Pow: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 14 December 2023. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Written Questions

John Penrose: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to Question 1853 tabled by the hon. Member for Weston-super-Mare on 14 November 2023.

Mark Spencer: A response was published on 27th December 2023.

Department of Health and Social Care

Energy Drinks: Supermarkets

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Food (Promotion and Placement) (England) Regulations 2021 on restricting the placement of energy drinks in supermarkets.

Andrea Leadsom: The location restrictions came into force in October 2022. The restrictions prohibit the placement of less healthy products in key selling locations such as store entrances, aisle ends, checkouts and their online equivalents.The Department is currently conducting a post implementation review to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the restrictions, which will be published within five years of implementation.

NHS: Protective Clothing

Neale Hanvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate she has made of the cost to the NHS of unused personal protective equipment during the covid-19 pandemic; what steps her Department is taking to reclaim those costs; and how much has been reclaimed as of 29 November 2023.

Andrew Stephenson: In the face of an unprecedented global pandemic, we had to rapidly increase the volume of personal protective equipment (PPE) and change how we bought it in order to protect the National Health Service, including frontline health and care workers, and save lives. The Department’s most recent published annual report and accounts have already disclosed the cost of providing PPE during the pandemic, and are available at the following link:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/63e50dc0d3bf7f05c8e947a8/dhsc-annual-report-and-accounts-2021-2022_web-accessible.pdf